9 Meal Ideas To Help You Lose Weight

By now, you probably know that there are no miracle weight-loss solutions. The only way to shed some pounds and keep them off is to change your eating habits by having healthy, balanced meals and cutting down on fat, sugar, simple carbs, and junk food.

We know; that's easier said than done.

Here are nine meal ideas to help you lose weight. We've also been kind enough to provide you with examples for your three main meals of the day (breakfast, lunch and dinner).

breakfast

You've probably heard this a thousand times: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. According to The National Weight Control Registry, breakfast is one of the key factors to long-term weight control. In fact, studies published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition show that people who skip breakfast tend to be heavier than those who eat a healthy morning meal.

Eating within the first hour after you wake up helps to maintain your blood sugar and hormone levels, which keeps your energy level high throughout the morning and ensures that you don't overeat at lunchtime. It also kick-starts your metabolism, which will actually burn more calories throughout the day.

However, choose wisely since lots of typical breakfast foods are comprised of simple carbohydrates, such as white bread, many breakfast cereals (particularly brands for kids) and regular bagels. Because they are very easily digested, simple carbs send your blood sugar shooting up. When it comes back down, you'll feel ravenous. When looking at breakfast meal ideas to help you lose weight, choose complex carbs and protein instead.

3 healthy breakfast ideas

2 slices of whole-wheat toast with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter or apple butter (apple puree that tastes great but does not contain any actual butter and has very little fat) and 1 medium apple.